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Louisville City FC has lost just once in its last 12 games. FC Tulsa — the club that dealt that defeat — visits Lynn Family Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in a highly anticipated rematch.

Both previous meetings between the sides have been thrillers that lit up the scoreboard. Back on June 19, LouCity scored three times in the opening 10 minutes, then managed to hang on for a 3-2 victory. Tulsa was likewise quick out of the gates when registering a 3-2 win of its own July 10 over the boys in purple.

Both those previous contests were played in Oklahoma. Now the series between a pair of clubs in playoff positions moves to Lynn Family Stadium. Since venues were permitted to go to 100% capacity, LouCity has out-scored visitors there a combined 19-6 and dropped points only once via a draw.

First place in the USL Championship’s Central Division, Louisville is 11-3-3 overall, sporting a +17 goal differential and dynamic attack. Thirteen different players have scored — best in the league — with LouCity seven points clear of second-place Birmingham Legion FC.

FC Tulsa slipped after beating the boys in purple, dropping four straight until a victory last weekend over Birmingham. The club still sits third in the Central Division at 7-8-1, but it’s a difference of only three points between its position and seventh on the table.

FC Tulsa will travel to Louisville once more on Sept. 3 to conclude the season series. Before then, here’s more of what to watch for Saturday.

Follow along…

• For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc on Twitter and Louisville City FC on Facebook. Also find us at louisvillecityfc on Instagram. Live stats can be found at www.loucity.com/match-center.

• On the WBKI-TV (The CW)/ESPN+ streaming call: Gary Bailey (play by play) and Joseph Malfa (color).

• And for ESPN 680/105.7 on the radio: Jeff Greer and Casey Whitfield.

Notes to know

A home fortress: LouCity only recently passed the midpoint of its 32-game season. Yet the club has already played 11 of its 16 home games, going 8-1-2 at Lynn Family Stadium. That includes an unbeaten record since June 12, the new venue’s first 100% capacity game. Average attendance of 9,865 is best in the USL Championship.

Scoring spree: The 2021 season has been filled with positive streaks for LouCity, among them a run of scoring a goal in 12 straight games dating back to a 1-0 loss at Atlanta United 2 on June 6. The club record remains the 2016 squad’s 16 straight games with a goal.

Goals in bulk: What’s the “ magic number” for the boys in purple? So far, LouCity is unbeaten when scoring three or more goals. Impressively, the club has reached that mark six times (5-0-1) in 17 games of a season when offense has rarely been in short supply.

A leading man: Forward Cameron Lancaster, who has set the league on fire since his early days with LouCity, entered elite company in last Saturday’s win over Sporting KC II when registering his ninth goal of the season. That made 60 in his USL career, with the Englishman one of six to reach that mark.

Coming into his Own(by): Lancaster has provided the goals, while winger Brian Ownby continues setting them up. He has paced the attack since returning to the starting lineup in June, racking up a league-leading seven assists to go with three goals of his own. Ownby had one apiece in the SKC II win, handling a 75th-minute cross from Jorge Gonzalez to give Lancaster an open look at the face of goal.

Lethal loanee: Speaking of, the Portland Timbers (MLS) loan forward Gonzalez has emerged has a major contributor for LouCity since coming back from injury. He slotted a shot in top open scoring against SKC II in first half stoppage time before crossing in ahead of Lancaster’s milestone moment. Gonzalez has two goals and an assist in six appearances.

Bone’s in the zone: Midfielder Corben Bone tallied his fourth assist of the season last weekend when finding Gonzalez before the opening goal. That’s nothing new for the veteran in his second year with the club. A consistent chance creator, Bone ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference in that category with 29 on the season.

Defensive strides: Offense has made LouCity tough to beat, but the boys in purple have shown more signs of being a complete team in recent weeks. Over its last six games, LouCity has conceded only five goals and not allowed more than a goal in a game playing mostly with newcomer goalkeeper Parker Siegfried between the posts. The four games prior to that saw 10 goals conceded.

Injury report

• Oscar Jimenez (questionable)
• Abdou Thiam (questionable)
• Elijah Wynder (questionable)

Milestone watch

• Brian Ownby is one appearance away from 100 regular season LouCity showings. 

If there’s one thing you should know about Tyler Gibson, it’s that he’s always ready to do the work.

The 30-year-old defensive midfielder from Knoxville, Tenn., has been a solid presence in midfield for Louisville City FC this season, his first in a purple jersey.

Gibson has logged 1,368 minutes for the boys in purple, making him one of the most consistent figures on the pitch. He has appeared in 19 of the team’s 20 games, notching 15 starts. The only player with more minutes in matches played is Sean Totsch, who has appeared in all of LouCity’s 20 games.

Gibson has also proven to be a mainstay in Louisville’s buildup and attack, with 87% passing accuracy and six key passes so far this season, as well as two crosses.

Gibson previously played across the league for rival Indy Eleven, where he featured in the club’s 2019 and 2020 campaigns. Through his two seasons in Indy, the midfielder started in every one of the club’s 50 regular season matches, playing a total of 4435 minutes for the Eleven. Gibson netted one goal and one assist for the club.

“I mean I played against Louisville for a while and they’ve always been a tougher opponent to play, but being in a close vicinity it was always fun to have a little rivalry with them,” Gibson said. “They’ve always been super organized and have had such a winning culture. They always find ways to win games and fight, so that’s something that I noticed.

“When the opportunity came about to come here, I definitely wanted to be a part of that environment and culture.”

But breaking into this season’s LouCity roster, which featured 17 returning players, was no small feat. Last year’s squad also appeared in the club’s sixth straight Eastern Conference Final.

“I think it took a little bit of time to break in and earn their respect and everything like that but now I love it,” Gibson said.

“It’s a special group of guys. On and off the field we all get along. There’s no cliques. Everybody gets along with each other, but the biggest thing is, everybody wants to win. And that’s one thing that I wanted and what makes it special here is that there’s no off days here. In training, everybody’s on each other, everybody wants to win, everybody’s so competitive and they hold each other to the standards and hold everybody accountable on the field and then with off the field stuff as well.”

Recently, Gibson’s off-field career has just as busy as his on-field one. He is currently studying for his second financial advisor certification in addition to getting his start in real estate.

“Obviously soccer’s going to end at some point so the past few years I’ve been trying to use my free time wisely and trying to figure out what I’d be interested in,” Gibson said, “and there’s things I can do while I’m playing. I’m currently studying – I have one financial license already and I’m studying for the second one that I need, so I’ll hopefully get that sorted in the next couple of weeks.

“And then when I was living in Cincinnati I got into real estate a little bit, and my brother in-law and two of my old teammates, we all started a real estate company and we started building in Ottawa, Canada, and we’re looking at doing more stuff in the states as well, so we’ve been working on that. So I’m just using my free time wisely to get that set up and going – I find both of those things interesting.”

Prior to going pro, Gibson was a four-year starter at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he earned numerous academic and athletic accolades, including being named to All Atlantic-10 first team four years straight, and the Hermann Award watch list twice. Gibson helped the 49ers to Conference USA tournament championship titles in 2010 and 2013 and NCAA tournament appearances from 2011 to 2013, making a run to the finals and losing to eventual champion North Carolina Tar Heels in 2011, the team’s deepest tournament run ever.

Upon graduation, Gibson spent three seasons in the now-defunct North American Soccer League and won a league title with the San Francisco Deltas in 2017 before signing with FC Cincinnati in the USL that same year.

His time in Cincinnati was cut short – Gibson appeared in only seven matches for the club – due to a leg injury requiring surgery. After rehab and recovery, he signed across the league with Indy Eleven, where he spent the past two years before signing with LouCity.

In addition to Louisville’s history of winning in the USL, Gibson credits the environment in Derby City that he noticed as an opposing player with helping in his decision to come to the club this offseason.

“They’re just doing things right here, especially with the new training facility, the new stadium, everything about it is just going in the right direction. It’s very professional and that’s just something I wanted to be a part of,” he said.

This season, Gibson ranks in the top of almost every distribution stat for Louisville: He is second on the team in passes made and passing accuracy in the opposition’s half, third in passing accuracy, third in passes per 90 minutes, third in forward passes, and first in passing accuracy in own half.

Gibson, who has traditionally played in both center and defensive midfield, has slotted in the No. 6 spot after previous starter Devon Williams signed with Miami FC in the offseason.

“It definitely took a little bit of time to break in, but I feel like I’ve been playing well and have been getting in more and more games and I definitely feel like I have an important piece in the way we play, so I’m enjoying getting to play more and be a part of this group, and we have an amazing team,” he said.

“All of our guys can play. And as we’ve seen, there’s been a lot of changes through the lineups, so that’s something you have to prove every day. I think we’ve been doing better and progressing as the year’s gone on and I’ve enjoyed playing a role in that.”

Besides adding strength in the LouCity buildup, Gibson is also solid on defense, recording 24 interceptions, 12 clearances, and three blocks so far this season. He credits his teammates with holding each other to a high competitive standard, which only makes everyone better.

“Everybody wants to win. So nobody’s letting anybody take a day off in training or not give 100%. People get called out all the time if they’re not putting in the right work, and that’s what makes this team special and that’s why it’s been so consistent with a winning culture. I think that’s a main piece of why they’ve been successful in the past and why we’re doing well right now.”

Louisville City currently holds the top spot in the Central Division standings, with 40 points through 20 matches, at 12-4-4. The team suffered only its fourth loss of the season at Birmingham on Saturday, but has a chance to bounce back at home vs. FC Tulsa on September 3.

LouCity has two wins and a loss against Tulsa so far this season but remains nine points clear of the third-place foes in the Central Division.

“Even though we have been doing well, there’s little things that we need to fix to make sure that we continue to do well and we’re not happy with just winning games,” Gibson said. “That’s what makes it special, is that we’re not happy unless we clean up everything.”

When he’s not training or developing his non-soccer career, Gibson loves getting outside and exploring his new city.

“I’m enjoying it, especially now in summer… I love food and it’s a good food scene. The outdoor stuff too, the river and park and everything, so just riding your bike around there, that stuff has been really cool. I like getting our and exploring the city so that’s been fun just to check out a new city. It’s a really cool place and it’s definitely growing on me more and more.”

Gibson says his favorite restaurant that he’s tried in River City thus far is La Bodeguita de Mima, a Cuban stop at 725 E. Market Street. But he added that “to be honest, the food at our training facility is unreal.”

“I enjoy coming to training every day and being involved in the competitive environment, the winning environment,” Gibson said. “You want to feel like a professional, from the organization, the training facilities, the stadium, the fans – and everything feels very professional here. And coming to play every day is awesome, I look forward to it every day.”

Louisville City FC had an eight-game undefeated run end with Saturday night’s 2-1 loss at Birmingham Legion FC — and perhaps saw a concerning trend emerge.

Birmingham forward Neco Brett got in behind City’s defense for the opening, 51st-minute goal before team captain Paolo DelPiccolo equalized, looking to salvage a point for his side 11 minutes later. But crushingly, Legion FC’s J.J. Williams doubled his side’s score a minute after being subbed on when he chipped in a driven ball in the 78th minute.

The boys in purple have now lost four games in 2021 — each time they’ve allowed an opposing team to score first.

With the win, Birmingham closed the gap in the USL Championship’s Central Division to four games. Across the league, LouCity benefitted Saturday from an El Paso Locomotive loss. El Paso and Phoenix Rising — which lead the Western Conference’s Mountain and Pacific divisions — sit on 41 points. LouCity is only one behind in the chase for a regular season title.

Some positives can be taken away from the Birmingham game, particularly the play of young defender Josh Wynder, whose heroic second half tackle prevented a larger deficit. Overall, it was a disappointing night for a LouCity side not used to losing.

“It’s obviously really frustrating,” head coach Danny Cruz said. “Not a good performance tonight in pretty much every facet of the game. I thought there were some individual mistakes that hurt us. There’s a lot of frustration in me and in the locker room as well. I felt like we had a good response when they scored a goal to obviously tie it up. But, there were moments that we need to certainly look at and address on Monday.”

What went wrong

LouCity, which entered off a scoreless draw last weekend against OKC Energy FC, carried a sluggish attack into the first half at Birmingham, getting out-shot 5-3 in the first 45 minutes. While business picked up offensively out of the locker room, both goals conceded seemed to stem from poor individual plays — mistaken tackles that led to quality Legion FC chances from good angles.

On paper, LouCity looked itself by the end, numbering 18 crosses and trying 7 corners. But the side wasn’t potent enough in attacking areas, as just under one-third of those chances (crosses plus corners) landed on frame.

Man of the Match: Paolo DelPiccolo

Though DelPiccolo won’t be happy with the score line, he was voted player of the game after netting a career-high fourth goal of the season. DelPiccolo put his other shot on target, too, succeeding against a defensive low-block team like Birmingham.

The midfielder — moved into more of an attacking role as of late — found himself in 13 duels for the ball, second-most for his team. DelPiccolo also numbered the most tackles, cleared the ball twice and tallied an interception.

Formerly a central midfielder by trade, DelPiccolo evidenced why, gaining possession back four times. That was second-most for any midfielder or forward for LouCity in a solid performance that showed his drive.

Road woes

Amid a stretch of seven games away over eight fixtures, LouCity has started by twice dropping points. That makes Friday’s 7:30 p.m. meeting with FC Tulsa at Lynn Family Stadium all the more important, as four more road games follow to end September.

“My belief is that if you want to be the best team in the league, you have to be able to win at home and on the road,” Cruz said. “We’ve had some good performances on the road and we’ve had some tough ones like tonight. I spoke to the group and said we have two options at this point: It’s put your heads down and feel sorry for yourself, or let’s come back to work Monday and get ready to get three points against Tulsa.”

Playing without half of its regular back four on Saturday night, Louisville City FC felt the effects in a 2-1 defeat at Birmingham Legion FC.

Defenders Jonathan Gomez and Wes Charpie were both sidelined due to injury in what was the first loss for the boys in purple since July 10 and only the fourth all season for the first-place club.

As a result, LouCity dropped to 12-4-4, still four points ahead of Birmingham on the USL Championship’s Central Division table. Teams are competing for top-four finishes to qualify for the playoffs, and those with higher point totals host postseason games.

“I didn’t feel tonight that we out-worked the opponent, which is the bare minimum expectation here,” said head coach Danny Cruz. “While we obviously need to be better in the final third in the last couple games, I was frustrated tonight with the mentality. I was frustrated with the overall lack of discipline in the final third.

“It’s easy to dissect it when you lost a game, but ultimately it’s important to me that we respond the right way, which we have in the past.”

All of Saturday’s scoring was done in the second half at BBVA Field, where Legion FC’s Neco Brett finished his team-leading 12th goal of the year in the 51st minute before University of Kentucky product J.J. Williams chipped in his fourth goal of the year seconds after subbing on in the 78th minute.

“You can’t concede the goal where we concede the goal and how we concede the goal,” Cruz said of Williams’ game-winner, which followed a turnover in LouCity’s final third. “I thought collectively there were some individual mistakes that obviously hurt us and a lot of frustration obviously from me and the locker room as well.”

Sandwiched between Birmingham’s goals was LouCity’s lone scoring strike, and a crucial one. Antoine Hoppenot put in a 62nd-minute cross that found team captain Paolo DelPiccolo for his career-high fourth goal of the season.

DelPiccolo’s conversion ended what was a 197-minute run without a goal after the club entered off a scoreless draw last weekend at OKC Energy FC. Both games were played as part of a portion of the schedule that sees City away from home in seven of eight games — the exception being Friday’s return to Lynn Family Stadium against FC Tulsa.

“We’re frustrated,” said winger Brian Ownby. “Our standards are higher than that — at least the effort. I think we all could have given more effort tonight, and that’s disappointing. I think getting complacent bit us early in the second half. We got back in, then got complacent for that second goal. We have higher expectations. We want to win the league, and this is unacceptable for us.”

LouCity had a pair of other scoring chances shortly after its first goal. In the 65th minute, DelPiccolo played in a dangerous cross that couldn’t find a teammate. And three minutes after that, forward Cameron Lancaster attempted a leaping scissor kick from the top of the box that required a save.

But the offensive production over the last two games hasn’t matched what we’ve grown used to for the boys in purple, who have scored multiple goals in 12 of their last 15 fixtures.

In for the aforementioned Gomez and Charpie were veterans Pat McMahon and Oscar Jimenez, with the latter returning from an injury of his own. Ownby, questionable going into Saturday, subbed on but attacking midfielder Corben Bone has also been unavailable as of late.

The defeat ended an eight game unbeaten streak and evened the season series with Birmingham to 1-1-1 after a LouCity win and draw earlier in the year, both at Lynn Family Stadium. The sides meet once more on Oct. 30 in what could be a pivotal final game of the regular season.

Game Summary: Birmingham Legion FC vs. Louisville City FC

Venue: BBVA Field

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.

Man of the Match: Paolo DelPiccolo

Scoring

Birmingham Legion FC (0, 2, 2)

Louisville City FC (0, 1, 1)

Scoring Summary

Birmingham Legion FC:

51’ Nico Brett (Ryan James assist)

78’ J.J. Williams

Louisville City FC:

62’ Paolo DelPiccolo (Antoine Hoppenot assist)

Stats Summary: Birmingham Legion FC / Louisville City FC

Shots: 9 / 9

Shots on Goal: 3 / 3

Fouls: 13 / 8

Offside: 1 / 3

Corner Kicks: 2 / 7

Saves: 2 / 1

Lineups

Birmingham Legion FC: 1 — Matt Van Oekel, 21 — Alex Crongale, 3 — Phanuel Kavita, 27 — Thomas Vancaeyezeele (84’ 20 — Zachary Herivaux), 6 — Anderson Asiedu, 7 — Ryan James, 24 — Jonathan Dean, 5 — Mikey Lopez, 10 — Prosper Kasim (69’ 17 — Jaden Servania), 11 — Neco Brett (77’ 23 — J.J. Williams), 77 — Junior Flemmings

Subs not used: 13 — Jacob Rufe, 18 — Revor Spangenberg, 22 — Benjamin Ofeimu, 12 — Eli Crongale

Louisville City FC: 24 – Parker Siegfried, 4 — Sean Totsch, 19 — Oscar Jimenez (81’ 21 — Kyle Greig), 15 — Pat McMahon (46’ 8 — Akil Watts), 66 – Joshua Wynder, 9 — Jorge Gonzalez (64’ 20 — Jimmy McLaughlin), 7 — Napo Matsoso, 12 — Tyler Gibson, 36 — Paolo DelPiccolo, 17 — Cameron Lancaster, 29 — Antoine Hoppenot (64’ 10 — Brian Ownby)

Subs not used: 16 — Simon Lefebvre, 3 — Alexis Souahy, 22 — George Davis IV

Discipline Summary

Birmingham Legion FC: 16’ Jonathan Dean (yellow)

Birmingham Legion FC: 44’ Mikey Lopez (yellow)

Louisville City FC: 50’ Akil Watts (yellow)

Referee: Brad Jensen

Louisville City FC didn’t have to win Sunday to advance itself in the USL Championship’s Central Division race.

On an early evening when the heat index topped 100 in Oklahoma City, the boys in purple played OKC Energy FC to a scoreless draw at Taft Stadium devoid of LouCity’s regular offensive fireworks.

A club tied for the league lead with 39 goals was held scoreless for the second time this season and first since June 6. In turn, however, LouCity defensively registered just its fifth clean sheet of the 2021 campaign.

Given second-place Birmingham Legion FC lost earlier in the day, LouCity’s Central Division lead increased to seven points with coach Danny Cruz’s side now 12-3-4. The club’s 40 points are one off Western Conference member El Paso for the best in the USL Championship.

“There’s certain areas we can get better for sure,” Cruz. “But still, this was a fight. It was a battle. It was a scrap, and my message to (the players) was I’m proud of them. But if we want to accomplish the goals that we’ve set out for each other, we need to make sure we’re looking to improve in the areas that we can.”

LouCity can claim the better of the game, out-shooting OKC Energy 10-6 while holding 63.1% of possession. But it wasn’t until the 62nd minute that one of those attempts landed on target.

The best opportunities came earlier in the evening. In the 14th minute, a turnover in OKC’s half led to an Antoine Hoppenot cross to Jimmy McLaughlin at the back post. McLaughlin collided with the goalkeeper, who narrowly managed a save. Hoppenot played another dangerous cross in during the 18th minute, but his teammates didn’t manage to get on the end of it.

So went a performance out of character for a team that entered having won four straight, scoring multiple goals in each of those victories.

“The wind and the turf and the heat — it was certainly tough to play the style of play we’re looking for, Cruz said. “I still felt we had a lot of the ball.  I thought we created enough chances. If we score the goal early — the one with Jimmy — I think that changes the game.”

This draw marked the third meeting of the year between LouCity and the Energy. Both prior results were Louisville wins in July at Lynn Family Stadium as part of a run of 13 unbeaten games from the club’s last 14.

Four lineup changes were made Sunday, and because of the shuffling defender Wes Charpie wound up wearing the captain’s armband to open play. However, he left in the 39th minute after banging knees with an opposing player, and Jonathan Gomez likewise exited favoring his leg in the 64th minute.

“We’re dealing with a lot of injuries at the moment,” Cruz said. “That’s something we’re going to have to work through — picked up another couple tonight. With that being said, while we wanted to leave here with three points, in these conditions I was really, really proud of the group.”

Cruz did gain a piece of his rotation back Sunday as well as outside back Oscar Jimenez subbed on for Gomez. Jimenez — LouCity’s all-time assists leader — last appeared in the April 24 season opener owing to a meniscus injury. In limited minutes, he led LouCity with five crosses and completed a team-high 94.1% of his passes.

“I put a lot of hard work in,” Jimenez said. “It’s nice to be back out there with my teammates. They’ve been pushing me all this time. I’m just glad to get some minutes under me, because we’re in a big part of the season right now when everyone needs to be prepared to contribute.”

LouCity will next look forward to a Saturday trip to play Birmingham in a key Central Division matchup. The boys in purple have an eye on finishing with the USL Championship’s best overall record, but priority is also on winning the division. A top-four finish clinches a playoff spot with clubs to be seeded this fall based on their point totals.

Game Summary: OKC Energy FC vs. Louisville City FC

Venue: Taft Stadium

Kickoff: 6 p.m.

Man of the Match: Parker Siegfried

Scoring

OKC Energy FC (0, 0, 0)

Louisville City FC (0, 0, 0)

Stats Summary: OKC Energy FC / Louisville City FC

Shots: 6 / 10

Shots on Goal: 2 / 2

Fouls: 14 / 16

Offside: 4 / 2

Corner Kicks: 2 / 5

Saves: 2 / 2

Lineups

OKC Energy FC: 1 – CJ Coachran, 20 – Connor Donovan, 4 – Mitchell Osmond, 15 — Lamar Batista, 6 — Brad Dunwell (80’ 19 – Muengnenshime Goshit), 28 – Deklan Wynne, 22 — Zachary Ellis-Hayden, 8 — Hiroki Kurimoto, 21 — Villyan Bijev, 9 — Jamie Chavez (60’ 7 — Seyi Adekoya), 10 — Arun Basuljevic (81’ 18 — Tucker Stephenson)

Subs not used: 12 — Irakoze Donasiyano, 17 — Jonathan Brown, 35 — Kyle Ihn, 24 — Kodai Iida

Louisville City FC: 24 – Parker Siegfried, 6 – Wesley Charpie (39’ 8 – Akil Watts), 66 – Joshua Wynder, 4 – Sean Totsch, 42 – Jonathan Gomez (64’ 19 — Oscar Jimenez), 7 – Napo Matsoso, 20 – Jimmy McLaughlin (46’ 36 — Paolo DelPiccolo), 12 — Tyler Gibson (81’ 21 – Kyle Greig), 9 — Jorge Gonzalez, 29 – Antoine Hoppenot (81’ 3 – Alexis Souahy), 17 – Cameron Lancaster

Subs not used: 1 – Chris Hubbard, 14 Abdou Thiam

Discipline Summary

OKC Energy FC: 45’+ Zachary Ellis-Hayden (yellow)

Louisville City FC: 53’ Josh Wynder (yellow)

Referee: Calin Radosav